Of all the games that have championed the "play your way" philosophy, few have executed it with the intricate brilliance of Dishonored 2. The sequel to Arkane Studios' 2012 immersive sim not only refined the original's formula but expanded it into a masterclass of systemic level design and player agency. A true measure of its success lies not in a single playthrough, but in a detailed breakdown of its individual levels, analyzing how their architecture, verticality, and narrative environmental storytelling coalesce to create a dynamic playground for stealth, combat, and everything in between. This is a score breakdown of Dishonored 2's level design and its intrinsic relationship with stealth gameplay.
The Grading Criteria:
Before delving into the levels, it's crucial to establish the criteria. A top-tier Dishonored 2 level is graded on:
- Player Agency: How many viable paths (high, low, interior, exterior) are available?
- Verticality & Spatial Design: Does the level encourage and reward looking up and down?
- Narrative Integration: Does the environment tell a story that complements the main plot?
- Systemic Depth: How do the game's systems (powers, gadgets, AI) interact with the environment?
- Stealth Viability: Is a pure stealth, non-lethal approach challenging yet fair and engaging?
With this framework, let's break down some of the game's most iconic missions.
Mission 2: Edge of the World - Score: 8/10
This mission serves as the player's true introduction to Karnaca. Set in the dockyard district of Serkonos's capital, it is a sprawling, open-ended introduction to the game's new mechanics. The level scores highly on player agency, offering a multi-layered approach to the objective. You can navigate through the plagued streets, climb across rusted rooftops, or possess fish to swim through the flooded basements of buildings.
The environmental storytelling is superb, depicting a city in decay under Duke Luca Abele's rule, with Howlers and Grand Guard locked in a tense cold war. Stealth is highly viable, with numerous shadowy corners, alleyways, and interior spaces to bypass conflicts. It loses points only because it is, by design, a more open "hub" style level, lacking the tightly focused, puzzle-box genius of later missions. It's an excellent tutorial in practice, not just in name.
Mission 4: The Clockwork Mansion - Score: 10/10
A strong contender for one of the greatest levels in video game history, Kirin Jindosh's Clockwork Mansion is a flawless demonstration of design principles. It is a masterwork of spatial manipulation and systemic interaction. The entire level is a transforming puzzle box. Pulling a single lever reconfigures walls, floors, and ceilings, creating new paths and revealing hidden secrets.
The stealth rating here is uniquely complex. The primary enemies, Jindosh's Clockwork Soldiers, are a thrilling stealth challenge. They are blind but possess acute hearing, forcing the player to reconsider standard tactics. Moving slowly is key, and using the environment—such as shattering glass to distract them—becomes paramount. The level offers the ultimate expression of player agency: you can engage with the brilliant, shifting mansion as intended, or, as many seasoned players discovered, bypass the entire mechanic by navigating through the walls' static outer shell. It is a perfect sandbox that respects player ingenuity above all else.
Mission 5: The Royal Conservatory - Score: 9/10
Following the mechanical marvel of Jindosh's mansion, the Royal Conservatory provides a stark, organic contrast. Home to the witch Breanna Ashworth, this mission is a testament to atmospheric design and target-specific storytelling. The environment is lush, overgrown, and eerily beautiful, telling the story of the Delilah's coven's corruption of a place of learning.
Stealth gameplay takes on a new dimension here due to the new enemy type: the Gravehounds and the haunting "Fog Song" of the witches themselves. The witches are psychically linked to their hounds, making silent takedowns a delicate chain of events. The verticality is exceptional, with giant, climbable bloodfly nests and tree branches creating a high-wire network above the guarded grounds. The non-lethal approach to Ashworth is particularly clever, involving the destruction of her magical portrait, a objective deeply woven into the environment. It loses a point only because the paths, while plentiful, can feel slightly more linear than the mansion's endless possibilities.
Mission 7: A Crack in the Slab - Score: 10/10
If the Clockwork Mansion is the peak of spatial design, then A Crack in the Slab is the pinnacle of temporal design. In this mission, the player acquires the "Time Piece," a device that allows them to shift between two time periods—the present-day, dilapidated Aramis Stilton Manor, and its past, pristine state during a fateful party.
The level design is nothing short of revolutionary. Actions in the past directly affect the environment in the future. Need to bypass a wall? Go to the past and place a plank there; it will be rotten and climbable in the future. Need to avoid guards? Go to the past and lock a door, barring their path in the present. The stealth potential is infinite and mind-bending. Notably, the game even removes your core powers for this mission, forcing you to rely solely on your wits and the time-shifting mechanic. It is a bravura piece of design that is both a thrilling stealth puzzle and a profound narrative device, showing the immediate and devastating consequences of your actions.
Conclusion: The Whole Greater Than the Sum of Its Parts
While these standout missions are often rightfully praised, it's important to note that Dishonored 2 maintains an exceptionally high baseline across all its levels. From the dusty, trap-laden streets of Karnaca to the sterile horrors of the Addermire Institute, each location is crafted with a meticulous attention to detail that supports myriad playstyles.
The game's ultimate triumph is that its level design never feels like a separate entity from its stealth, combat, or narrative systems. They are intrinsically fused. The environment is not just a backdrop; it is your greatest tool, your most formidable adversary, and your most eloquent storyteller. In breaking down its scores, we see a game that trusts the player's intelligence, rewards curiosity, and consistently delivers complex, interconnected playgrounds that make every silent shadow, every rooftop leap, and every clever takedown a story worth telling. Dishonored 2 remains the gold standard for immersive sim level design, a title earned one perfectly crafted brick and breathtaking vista at a time.
